Electronic devices typically make use of both analog and digital signals. An analog signal is a continuous signal which may assume any value. A digital signal is one in which may assume one of a discrete set of values. A signal may be in the form of an electrical current or a voltage. Electrical current is the measurement of the flow of electrons. Voltage may be defined as the difference between electric potential at two given points.
Electronic circuitry often includes devices for transferring analog signals into digital signals and vice versa. One component which may be used in such transferring is referred to as a comparator. Generally, a comparator is an electronic circuit device configured to receive two input signals and output one of two values based on the input signals.
One characteristic of a comparator device is output capacitance. Generally, the larger the output capacitance of the device is, the longer it will take for the output signal to switch from one value to another in response a change in one of the input signals. Thus, it is desirable that a comparator device have a low output capacitance. The lower the output capacitance, the faster the device is able to operate.